Doña Ana County cleanup crews describe illegal-dumping response and community events on county podcast

Joseph Vargas, Doña Ana County multimedia coordinator, hosted county code-enforcement crew members on the county podcast to explain how the cleanup unit responds to illegal dumping and runs community outreach events.

The episode focused on the crews' daily operations, how reports become work orders and how staff prioritize and complete cleanups across the county. Antonio, who said he works for Doña Ana County's community development and code enforcement functions, described the basic response: "Once somebody reports illegal dumping, it goes to our lead. And then our lead would make a work order for us. And then we go out there and then we decide if we're going to use our heavy machine to go take care of it or if we're going to go just, you know, do it manually." Juan Carlos Mendoza, a laborer with the Doña Ana County code enforcement department, said crews document sites with before-and-after photos and report back to leads to show that the work was completed.

Why it matters: cleanup work reduces hazards to wildlife and residents, removes visual blight and conserves public resources by keeping problem sites from recurring, the guests said. The crew members emphasized safety and teamwork, noting they plan district-by-district to improve response time and choose equipment appropriate to each site.

The staff described the unit's operating realities and limits. They said the cleanup group cycles drivers and works with a small crew—"it's approximately about 3,800 square miles" of county territory and "only four of us," Antonio said—focusing on unincorporated county areas rather than inside municipal limits. Critical reports are handled as soon as possible; less urgent work is scheduled by district so crews can serve a broader area efficiently.

Outreach and events: the county uses mascots and educational materials to engage residents, particularly children. Antonio and Mendoza discussed Carlos the Coyote (used for education) and Javier the Javelina (a character who litters in the comics) and said they distribute comic books, trading cards and informational pamphlets at schools and career days. "We actually get to show the kids... pictures of our work and we also... teach them why it's important not to litter," Antonio said.

The crew also outlined how free community roll-off events operate: staff set up a tent, park county trucks with lights on for visibility, run the roll-offs from about 8 a.m. until roll-offs close (staff said they typically close roll-offs at noon and operate on-site until about 1 p.m.), and bring a skid steer to compact loads when containers reach capacity. The episode named two upcoming free events: one in Radium Springs this weekend and another at the community center in "Valo" the following Saturday, and staff asked residents to check the county website for details.

Items not accepted at roll-offs include oil, batteries, paint, ashes, semi-trailer tires and tractor tires, the staff said. For general inquiries or to request service, the host directed listeners to the Doña Ana County website (Departments → Code Enforcement) or to call the county main administration line at 575-525-5800 and ask to be transferred.

The podcast closed with a reminder from the crew to respect the environment and appreciation for residents who report illegal dumping. The episode serves as an informational overview of how Doña Ana County's cleanup crews operate, when and where residents can find free roll-offs, and how the county uses outreach to discourage littering.